


Just who are we

by AHuevosAmigo



Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Useless Adults
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-11
Updated: 2020-12-11
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:06:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28001373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AHuevosAmigo/pseuds/AHuevosAmigo
Summary: The system fails Ellie, but they wont. Not a chance in hell.
Relationships: Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 70





	Just who are we

The nurse frowned as the child would cry incessantly, she knew of course. Infants needed bonding with their mother. As the years drew on less children were born in this world. The orphanage was for lack of a better word, barren. Most kids here weren’t younger than 5. 

An infant wasn’t rare, just not as frequent. She sighed, grabbing her clipboard she read over the infant's name. Mother died after birth, and glancing at the folder, she noticed the infant was born just over a week ago. 

She had survived her first week in this fucked up world. The nurse wondered, briefly, how long the child would make it. A month? Year? A decade? Four? 

She wrote a note down and grabbed a small stuffed bear. Placing it near the crying child, it latched onto it quickly, the nurse frowned. 

Had anyone held this child, this infant? Obviously she had been fed but no contact other than feeding at such a young stage would certainly ruin the child. 

Sighing she picks up the infant, coos as the child silences her cries almost instantly. 

She spends what few minutes she has with the infant. Cradling, murmuring and eventually placed her back in the small bed they had. 

The stuffed bear is placed near the child, and the nurse bids her farewell. 

“Goodnight, Ellie.” 

-

A man comes in a few days later, claiming his pregnant girlfriend never returned. The nurse scoffs. The child has been alive for almost ten days, though she supposes it’s better than nothing. 

He stays, and once he glances at the child, something in him breaks. He blames the poor thing, screams and gets up in her face before staff rush him. 

A woman, with a serious look on her face comes in not too much after. She looks around and spots the nurse. Striding up to her she speaks in a voice, with so much restrained emotion that the nurse tries not to cower. 

“Do not let him near her again.” She takes a look at the nurse, a hard, long look. Before swiftly walking away. 

They don’t see the man ever again. 

The nurse takes care of the child for a few months, before the orphanage deems her old enough to be moved. 

A baby. Old enough. 

She scoffs, but continues her duties. Soon she forgets the small child, the child is forgotten but not just by her. 

—

The kid stirring up a mess is 5 or 6 he gives or takes. Nodding toward the ward supervisor, he smiles something he hopes scares her. 

They have no need for soft children. 

“Welcome to FEDRA. You will work for your government, and in turn your government will work for you.” It’s a speech he’s told hundreds of kids. 

Maybe one or two of them get a lucky break and the speech is true for them. Most others run off, get killed or infected. Doesn’t matter to him. 

Just another day. The kid says nothing, he doesn’t pay it any mind. A quiet kid is an obedient kid. 

He looks over the file the ward staff had given him. Williams, age 8, so he was wrong, red hair. Below weight and height. But what kid wasn’t. 

He smiles. Showing the missing teeth he had accumulated. The kid, to his hidden surprise, does not flinch. 

This one might actually make it. 

He doesn’t care, why would he. 

—

Williams had in fact made it. Two years had gone by without a single incident. 

Ran her drills, studied, excelled, but was behind in her social life. 

Not that he cared, why would he. 

That is until this very day, the star child which he never had to waste his time on sat on the chair. A blank look on her face, which he hadn’t really noticed that it never left.

“Williams.” He addressed her. A twitch, minuscule but there. 

“Sir.” Another, he places his palms on the top of his desk and rises. Such weakness is easily shown, he’d make sure to stamp it out. 

“Your face gives it away.” He states and to her credit, her face stays solemn. 

“You know.” He continues not waiting for her reply. 

“When I first saw you I knew you’d do wonderful.” He lets his words sweeten her, or maybe anger her. 

Not that he cared, why would he. 

“FEDRA doesn’t say it, but we are always in need of psychos who don’t care what they’re risking their life for. And kid?” He’s moved to be standing by her chair. His arms crossed behind him. 

His uniform, while slightly dirty, is impeccable. 

“We usually grow the psychos, we lucked out with you, you just fucken came in one.” He laughs, a fake one. 

Still a laugh.

  
  


He sends her out of his office, with drills and more work to be done before she can return to her dorm. 

These kids had it lucky he had been around long enough to know life before the outbreak. 

Not that those kids cared, why would they. 

—

Picking up his clipboard the officer sees a name on this list for what seems the hundredth time. 

‘Williams’- Fighting. 

Pinching his nose he stands up and opens his door. Not surprised to see Williams sitting, a dark look replacing her regular features. 

Oh good, she’s in a mood again. 

“Williams.” He calls and she follows. He closes the door behind them. She sits, and so does he. The imposing desk between them. 

“Do you want to explain why you’re on my list for the goddamn hundredth time?” He asks, his voice rising and he’s isn’t surprised that she doesn’t flinch. Not like the other children. 

Since her arrival just months ago, from another military preparatory across the city, she has eluded him in her customs. Clarke, her previous superior officer had warned him of her supposed psychotic nature. Her long silences, the one worded answers, extreme bouts of anger. 

She does not speak, not a flicker of recognition that she heard him speak is in her eye. He breathes a sigh through his nose. He supposes he could get the answer from the other child but he doesn’t want to spend anymore time with this kid. 

Noting, the fact that he hasn’t seen the other girl in sometime. He smiles a kind smile. Wondering what kind of tale he would spin to get the girl in front of him to act out. 

“Are you finding your time here difficult now that your little friend is dead.” 

A stumble in her expression, and he latches on with vigor. 

“Abel was it? The report said her body was only recognized by the, what was it?” He feigns thinking, letting the horrifying images invade her brain. Sometimes, withholding the details was a slower torture. Something he’d prefer. 

“A yes, that rather larger scar on her neck right? Hard to miss that huh?” Her chest is rising faster and her fists are clenched. He smiles and asks again. 

“Mind telling me why you’re fighting? Can’t be over that stupid girl, she’s dead. No point in getting kicked out over it.” He laughs and sits at the corner of his desk. 

He feigns relaxation and her hurried breaths make him laugh, what a joke. 

Grabbing her file, he notices a small note toward the bottom. “Looks like it says here you’re on your last strike. This is the last chance you got Williams. No one else will take you in. It’s this, or the outside. You pick.” Shutting the folder he tosses it, and it lands with a soft thud. 

He waits a beat. Two. 

It isn’t funny anymore, this little mood she has. What a joke. 

His anger rises and he stands, she does not flinch. He grows closer and she does not move. 

He stands behind her chair and calmly, asks her again. 

“I’m giving you one last chance. Change your attitude or you’re out.” Hoping his stature and his rank will finally make this cadet submit. 

She sits still, not a word. 

What a joke. 

In a rush of anger he kicks the back of her chair, sending her face first into the corner of his desk. She lets out a cry of pain. His anger spikes. 

“Oh now you aren’t so fucken quiet?” He bellows at her, breathing quickly he stands over her. 

“Not when it’s your commanding officer asking you direct questions. Only when poor little Williams is hurt.” He yells and she finally turns toward him, her eyebrow scar had been reopened and the sight of blood turns his anger. What a joke. 

“You will learn respect, and you will become a soldier. Your government did not waste time and effort on you to give up because of some stupid little girls death! Do you hear me?” He yells and he sees tears at her eyes. 

“Do you understand me?” He yells each word at her in increasing volume. 

His breathing is hard and she doesn’t meet his gaze. 

She utters a soft response. 

“Sir.” 

What a joke. 

  
  


—

  
  


Joel doesn’t really understand the kid, silent as a fox. Tess lucks out sometimes. She’ll speak, in short words. 

Never about herself, always about something else. He doesn’t mind. The kid is just cargo. 

The kid sleeps quickly, even in sleep she does not relax and a small part of Joel hates this world for doing that to a kid so young. 

Tess is by him, the fire dying between them. He pokes around the embers and she speaks. 

“Weird kid huh?” She asks and he grunts. 

“Reminds me of you a bit.” He rolls his eyes and her eyebrows shoot up.

“Like there!” 

“Tess.” 

“Okay.” 

—

He hadn’t clearly heard her voice, not even when she tried to explain her bite. Not until the moments after learning Tess’ fate. 

“I will not turn into one of those things!” Tess confirms. It’s a blinding pain, Tess. His partner of over a decade, soon to be dead. 

Beside him he hears a clear single distressed word. 

“Tess.” He looks and he knows. Knowing and not knowing. 

—

Tess dies, he doesn’t speak, neither does she. 

—

Bill tries to get a rise out of the girl, except she hangs back. Out of sight, out of mind Bill says. 

He doesn’t know when he starts to worry about the kid, but when he does notice, the worry is small. He knows it well and knows he’s doomed. 

—

The ambush brings no further words. He checks in on her and she nods she’s okay. Hands him supplies, ammo, even a medkit she had found. 

He expresses his gratitude, she doesn’t smile, but her eyes seem light, maybe. He can’t tell. 

—

They find two brothers. Henry and Sam. At first Sam takes to her like a puppy. Her responses are few and far in between. 

The sewers prove to be a challenge as Henry tells them in the radio tower. 

He stirs his beans and nods, he can hear her voice through the door. Maybe it was luck that brought them together. 

He’s grateful Ellie has a friend.

—

The next morning. He regrets ever meeting them. The slow progress Sa-. The boy had made is erased with that single shout. 

“Sam!” 

—

The walk to Jackson is slow. He has his shotgun out as they walk down a highway. The weather has turned cold. They’re nearing fall, and he wonders at the empty place inside her. 

He speaks to her, what he’s doing, what is happening. He gets the sense she isn’t broken, but maybe those around her didn’t understand how she operated. 

He smiles as he teaches her an efficient hunting method with the bow. She’s not as strong as him so she can’t wind the string taut. 

He is still proud of the small rabbit she is able to catch. They sit by a small fire some time later. Eating the small creatures she had hunted. 

“Joel?” She speaks and he’s spooked for half a second. Turning to her, rabbit still in his hands he hums wanting to encourage her words, her expressions that have been melting. 

“Thank you.” He smiles and she gives him one in return. A soft one. A real one. 

He dubs it the Ellie smile, because it’s wholeheartedly one hundred percent her. 

“You’re welcome kiddo.” 

He’s proud. 

—

Tommy and Maria warm up to Ellie and Maria speaks highly of her. He can’t bring himself to ask Tommy to take her. 

Instead he and Tommy speak of Texas, of Jackson and everything In between. 

“What’s with the girl?” He asks and Joel knows he isn’t speaking about her reserved nature. 

He tells him, Tommy doesn’t believe him at first, but relents. He speaks of a university in eastern Colorado. 

Joel nods, they rest that night. The first night they have in Jackson. 

Ellie wakes him for breakfast bright and early, eager to set out. 

She flips through her comic on the way to the dinning hall. Joel Is distracted, talking about one thing or another to her. He’s lost in his own story, doesn’t notice when her comic slips to the floor in between her flipping the page. 

He doubts she was listening, he’s about to bend down and get it for her. 

Except a rather small hand reaches before either of them and straightens out, holding the magazine toward Ellie. 

“Here ya go.” The teenager tells them. 

Ellie doesn’t move, and Joel assumes her shy nature is back and is about to take it when Ellie suddenly remembers how to move. 

Taking it, she grips it hard and Joel turns to thank the young girl.

“Tha-.” He’s interrupted for the first time since ever knowing Ellie. 

“Thank you.” She quickly says and goddamn Joel has never seen Ellie that red. Was she embarrassed she dropped the comic? 

“Thank you ma’am. I’m Joel, this is...” He trails hoping Ellie will fill in for him. It’s safe here, there’s no chance of a repeat with Sam. He hopes, hopes, hopes, that Ellie will trust again. 

That Ellie will let someone else in. That she can be a kid again. 

“Ellie.” Ellie says, in a strong voice. Her voice. 

All those times he thought she was speaking louder than her hushed tones he had thought she was just projecting. 

Turns out that was her real voice. A strong one. Just like her. 

He smiles and the girl eagerly shakes both of their hands. 

“I haven’t seen you guys before. I’m Dina!” She nods enthusiastically, her gaze keeps landing on Ellie and Joel nods.

“We’re just stopping by, though we’ll be back in a couple of months with some luck.” He adds noticing the Ellie smile reappear on her face. 

The safety of the walls, the comfort of Tommy’s guest bedroom. Ellie’s smile, her voice feeling comfortable enough to come out. 

Yeah they were definitely coming back. 

—

“Callus.” She speaks, and Joel can’t help but laugh. It was his fault for not asking the horse's name. He just had no idea where she had heard that name before. 

“Okay. Callus it is then.” 

She smiles, something becoming more and more regular. She, honest to god laughs sometimes and seeing this shy reserved kid come out of her shell makes him just so proud. 

Proud of the kid, proud of Ellie. 

They spot monkeys and she laughs. He’s worried, they haven’t seen the Fireflies but press on. 

They find the mirror building and climb in. She speaks for the first time to someone who isn’t there. 

They find the body, and within seconds find resistance. 

He’s hurt. He hears her yell in rage. 

Funny, he doesn’t think she’s ever yelled around him. 

—

It’s snowing, he vaguely remembers Callus. He’s upright one second, and on the ground the next. 

“Joel! You gotta get up! You gotta tell me what to do!” 

He tried. He so desperately tries. 

—

Sometimes. If he tries hard enough to push past the cold, the exhaustion and the pain, he hears something. Someone speak to him. 

It’s her. 

Ellie. 

She’s speaking to him, but the sentences are complete. As if she’s reading something. 

He hears planets' names but can’t for the life of him remember what she said of them. 

—

He drifts for some time. 

-

He awakens. She isn’t there. 

His blood runs colder than the snow outside. 

He beats the two men into submission. They cry, and beg and he doesn’t care. 

Why would he. 

—

His fear and rage push him hard. He runs through the whiteout and finds small traces of her. 

Kills every last one of them in his path. He stumbles through the door of one building and finds another in flames. 

He sprints hoping to whoever would listen, that she is still alive. 

That his baby girl is okay. 

She is, but not really. 

—

He doesn’t pretend that she’s okay. Traveling together they have been able to fine tune the others' mood. She’s subdued. More so than she has been since he found her. 

Since she found him. 

He still will speak, but knows when she needs the silence. The space. 

He walks in front of her, acting as if she isn’t behind him. It’s something that works. Give her privacy and space, most importantly silence. 

She returns to him within an hour most times, maybe two if things are really bad. 

When things are unmanageable, she asks them to stop. So they do. 

She’ll ask for complete privacy and he’ll step away. Never far away enough that he won’t be there in a second to help. 

He agrees to her terms under one condition. She’s to shoot the bullet in her gun the second she is in danger. No matter what direction. No matter what. The second something is wrong. 

She agrees. 

She never has to use it. 

He waits, a building down the road. What looks to be an auto repair shop. He wanders about it. Checking out the belts, oils and spins a small device used to show viscosity. 

He laughs and keeps an ear out for Ellie. It’s been roughly 45 minutes since she asked to stop. She so rarely asks that he gives in the second she gives him the look. 

They’re in Utah, have been for sometime. Salt Lake to be precise. Maybe a couple more hours until they reach Saint Mary’s. 

He’s fiddling around with some spare parts when she finds him. The darkness that had settled around her is gone. She seems, Lighter than she was a couple hours ago. 

“Let’s go?” He asks. 

“Let’s go.” She confirms. 

Verbal responses had died since Colorado. Things looked to be changing. 

He hoped they could get back to Jackson soon. 

—

The giraffes coax her smile back in full force. She pets the creature and uses her soft voice for the first time in a light hearted tone. 

He expresses his concern, giving her an out. 

“It can’t be for nothing.” She says her previous joyful expression is not entirely gone, but the little girl had grown so much. He steels himself and nods following her down the metal staircase. 

-

They reach the highway, the infected are blocking the path through a tunnel. 

They decide against going inside, too many infected. Too much of a risk. 

They find a different path, and walk up Through a field of grass. The sight is eerily like the university. No guards no parole. No nothing. They check inside, no new leads. The hospital is abandoned. 

Ellie stares at a red Firefly logo spray painted on one of the walls. 

“Well, what happens now?” She asks. Hope dying within her. 

“We tried kiddo. This world sucks, but maybe we can try to find a purpose back home.” He states. 

She turns, confused. 

“Boston?” She asks and he smiles at her. 

“Jackson.” He summons her, asks her to help him find a working car. He hears an engine turn over and turns to see her driving up to him not two seconds later. 

“Color me impressed girl, you really do got a knack for this stuff.” He motions to her driving and she smiles. 

The abandoned hospital is not entirely forgotten but maybe she has started to forgive herself. 

—

Jackson is a welcomed break, their car broken down is forgotten and they forge through the path. 

They look over the small town on a cliff, he turns to her. Softly smiling at the open expression in her eyes. 

“Promise me that you’ll forgive yourself, that you won’t let this be the end of you?” He asks. 

“I promise.” She affirms. 

“Okay.” 

—

Dina had never really known the quiet, always been speaking, or listening to someone speak. 

Adjusting to Ellie’s quietness and learning that it wasn’t a sign of the other girls' annoyance took time. Still, as the years passed. Ellie’s silence grew smaller and smaller. 

She had ended things with Jesse and surprised herself and probably Ellie with the kiss at the dance. Giddy she walked home, the thought of Ellie on her mind. 

She hears a small noise behind her and she sees Joel looking at her. She dreads this for a second, not knowing If Joel knew about this part of Ellie. 

“Miss Dina.” He tips his hat and she nods back. 

“Joel, what do I owe the pleasure?” She asks and it is always a pleasure speaking to her best friend's dad. 

“Was hoping we could chat for a little bit.” He asks nodding at her porch, she acquiesces, and they sit in the rather ridiculous seats she has. 

“You know Ellie’s always been a quiet kid right?” He starts off and she nods solemnly. Still remembering the two strangers she had met months prior to walking in one day in Jackson. 

She had run up to the girl but, the girl seems more fragile, no fragile was not the right word. 

On guard, Dina settled. She had seemed ready for a strike. Thus Dina had decided to bother her even more, dragging the girl everywhere with her, and with Dinas friendship came Ellie’s trust. 

Over the years Dina bore witness to the strength of Ellie’s past. How silences could be so loud, yet so worrisome. 

Ellie trusted her, with more than she had told Joel. This Dina knew. This trust Ellie had given her was sacred to Dina. Ellie’s soft confession of her attraction to girls. 

Or her first kiss with her best friend. 

Her immunity. Dina knew a lot, maybe more than Joel. But it was never a competition for Ellie’s love. Dina knew. 

“Yeah, I remember.” Dina replies and Joel’s silence stretches. 

“That girl speaks of you non stop, whenever she says anything it’s always Dina related.” Dina’s amused at where this is going because If she was honest about herself. She could not shut up about Ellie either. 

“What I’m saying, kid, is that Ellie is a person of her own, you know more than anyone how she can turn from lively to quiet. S’ why I’m saying that I trust you with my kid. That I know she would be lucky to have you. Vice versa too.” He had taken his hat off at this point and was anxiously shuffling it between his hands. 

Dina knew. She always had. 

“I know Mr. Miller. I won’t let anything hurt her.” He nods a small smile and places his hat back on his head. 

“Thank you, Miss Dina.” She knows he doesn’t mean for this conversation, she watches him walk out of her yard and wonders of her luck. 

How lucky she is to have met, and fallen for her best friend. 

She swears that she’ll always love her, always be there if Ellie will have her. 

She’ll never let Ellie feel alone again. 

— 

She doesn’t notice she’s late for weeks. Ellie’s devoted to her, and she is madly in love with Ellie. 

Bringing up Jesse seems wrong , but she won’t hide this from her partner. The second she’s certain. She walks over to Ellie’s and knocks. 

“Dina!” The bright voice greats her, and she’s lucky. 

Oh so lucky. 

— 

JJ is born that winter. He has three parents but that’s just because he’s lucky. 

—

Dina doesn’t take the days that Ellie is here one hundred percent, for granted. Jesse will come over after his shift and Ellie will come home to him playing with JJ and Dina asleep. 

Not that it’s anything weird between them, Dina is grateful, Ellie will wake her with soft words. Dina doesn’t like dwelling on the past, happy to be able to cherish these moments. 

They spend JJs first few months happy. 

An odd trio, two girls in love and their best bro. Dina loves them both with all her heart. 

-

It doesn’t last, it can’t. 

Those days are few and far between. Ellie has triggers, Dina makes sure to never overstep her boundaries. 

Others, aren’t so. 

Ellie had been hunting with a group, gathering food for their settlement. That much she knew. 

Ellie coming home stoic and unresponsive was what left her worried. 

“Ellie?” She asks as she reaches the girl. She takes her hand slowly and smiles when Ellie responds. Even if it’s just by holding her hand. 

She gets it. 

They walk home in silence, sometimes Ellie will squeeze her hand, asking for Dina to speak. 

Most times she wishes to walk in silence. The days Ellie wants to walk alone scare her. But she understands. 

At home, Ellie passed by JJ. Rubbing his head, giving him all the affection she can muster. Dina places a hand on JJ and Ellie takes her leave. 

Dinas never spied in on Ellie’s time alone. She suspects the girl is just taking her time calming down. Whatever spooking her vanishing. 

She can picture Ellie sitting on the swing set Joel and Tommy had built, waiting for JJ to be old enough. 

Ellie’s been outside for a bit, Dina doesn’t keep time. Not wanting to diminish Ellie’s progress. 

“-ina?” She faintly hears and she wipes her hands on a dish towel. Little JJ tuckered out in his room, she glances in to confirm he’s okay. 

He is. She smiles. 

She walks in steady steps toward their backyard, opening the screen door and noticing Ellie crouched looking at the crawl space. 

“C’mere buddy.” She hears Ellie speak and Dina is amused. Knowing Ellie it would probably be a possum or raccoon. The girl had a heart of gold. 

Stopping a distance from her, Ellie glances up and smiles. The Ellie smile. 

Dina’s heart melts all over again and she knows the worst is over. “Look Dina, there’s a baby!” She exclaims in a whisper. Trying not to scare the ‘baby’.

Dina approaches and indeed there’s a small critter down there. She tries to peer in the dark space and a little voice mews from the dark. 

Oh. It was a kitten. 

“Do you think he’ll want to come outside?” Ellie asks in wonder. Of course cats had become the girls weakness. 

“If we can coax him yeah. Maybe.” Dina replies, cooing and giving the kitty air kisses to trying to lure him out. 

He slowly approaches and she can see he isn’t totally newborn. His eyes are open, he can hear and he looks a little big to be born within the last month. She assumes he was born two or three months. Give or take. 

Around JJs age. 

“Buddy, come here. Buddy boi, baby, c’mere.” Ellie coos in her JJ voice and Dina's smile grows as the small creature does start coming out. 

Dina had only been able to see the critters eyes, a piercing blue but not the color of his coat. 

Turns out there was a reason, he was within reach and she could easily see he was a black cat. 

Surprisingly enough, he let Ellie grab him. She slowly got up and pet the little guy. 

She spent a few moments just enjoying Ellie pet the little guy. She knew the moment Ellie looked up that she was in trouble. 

Those puppy dog eyes always got her and she crossed her arms, feigning annoyance, yet kept a big smile on her face. Letting Ellie know she wasn’t mad. 

Ellie just pouted and tried pleading her case. 

“He’s a baby, and, and it looks like it’s been wanting to rain all day. How could we leave him out in the cold Dina!” She says pointing toward the sky. 

Which indeed had been overcast all day, just starting to grow darker with the dying light of day. 

Dina just sighed, and acquiesced. 

“Fine. Fine. But if he’s even remotely mean to JJ he’s gone.” Dina firmly says and Ellie grows serious. 

She had always placed JJs safety first, beyond hers. Ellie nods. 

“Of course.” 

Dina starts to head in, not knowing if Ellie was done with her time alone, but upon hearing Ellie follow behind, she smiles. 

Opening the door she lets them both in. 

“What are we gonna name him?” Dina asks as she gets out a small disposable container. 

Pouring out some of the milk they could spare the small kitten eats. Placing some bread in with the milk, he happily takes it too. 

“Huh, hadn’t thought of a name yet.” Ellie admits. 

Dina can’t help watch the small critter. In between mouthfuls he’s sometimes mewl and Dina found it all too adorable. 

He reminded her of some scratchy little shits in New Mexico. What a day. 

“JJ the second.” Ellie offers. Which Dina promptly shoots down. 

“No.” And Ellie laughs.

“Okay. Okay.”

Dina looks at the little guy, noticing that along his black coat, he had small socked feet. 

White patches of fur covered his paws and she had a brilliant idea. 

“Uh, what about mittens?” She asks half joking since she found the small mittens adorable. 

“Mittens?” Ellie replies in confusion.

“You know? Like the small socks he has on.” Ellie glances and she lights up at the cute little addition her buddy has. 

“Like Shimmers sock! Yeah! I dig it dude.” Ellie nods and pulls out a small pocket journal. She sketches the kitten eating peacefully. 

Signs her name and closes the journal. 

“I’ll be in the living room okay?” Dina tells her, giving Ellie the option to join her or stay with the small kitten. 

Ellie looks up and nods, a small smile taking her face. 

“I’ll be there in a bit.” Dina nods, happy. 

Today could have been worse, but she snuggles into the couch by the small tv they have set up. She had turned on Ellie’s PlayStation and was watching an old movie. 

There are horrible days, days Ellie won’t respond for hours. Days Ellie’s eyes reflect so much pain that Dina wishes nothing else than to rid her of this hurt. 

There are unexpectedly beautiful days too, days like today. That start bad, that have the potential of being horrible. But something, so small and innocent can bring out the best of them. 

Dina’s wrapped under some blankets and Ellie walks in carrying the tiny cat as he sleeps. She places him on the small corner of the island couch, separate from them. 

She walks around and sits by Dina. Even at a grown 20 years old. Ellie glances at Dina, reaching shyly for her hand. Dina takes it easily, she knows it’s hard for Ellie to ask for touch. She knows how much Ellie craves it. 

Knows from experience that Ellie could spend hours just mapping Dinas body. 

Dina nods and opens her arms for Ellie to snuggle into. She wraps the blanket over both of them and Ellie hums into Dina. Just enjoying their time. 

“It’s cute when you purr.” Dina says as she gently runs her hand over Ellie’s cheek.

“M not purring.” Ellie says sounding like sleep is already taking her. 

“You are babe.” Ellie just laughs. 

The tiny kitten meows at them, as if scolding interrupting his nap time and they both chuckle. 

“You okay?” Dina asks. Ellie’s safe, comfortable and sleepy. She’s at her most vulnerable and almost always open to speaking up. 

“Yeah. Yeah. I’m okay.” Ellie nods and Dina takes it. Some days Ellie will speak of her worries other days, like today. She wants to sleep and Dina lets her take a nap. 

She watches as sleep takes the taller girl and she smiles. Lucky for the chance Ellie had taken on her. 

Lucky for the fact that Ellie was still here fighting. 

Lucky that Ellie chose her. 

“I need you Ellie. Need you like I need air. Need you like I need JJ.” She whispers and the girl who she thought was sleeping, smiles. 

What a little turd. 

“Need you too Dina. More than you know.” 

Mittens annoyed yet again at the intrusion meows and they laugh. The rain has started and Dina settles in. Deciding on checking in on JJ after just a moment of rest. 

She wishes for nothing but joy in their life. What else could she ask for. 

Dina sleeps soundly.

**Author's Note:**

> If you spot a mistake, just end me.


End file.
